e blue smoke went curling up the wide opening.

"Wonderful!" we cried, taking in the incomparable effect of the whole
room. "This is a house of magic."

"Very simple magic," laughed the old canon. "I fear that in sleight of
hand Juanita and I would be failures. Her magic lies in preparing simple
dishes."

"But where are they prepared?" we said. "There is neither sign nor sound
of cooking here."

"Come and see," laughed the canon; and crossing the kitchen, he led the
way through a further door down a short passage into a small,
whitewashed room beyond. Here on a large stove Juanita and her
hand-maiden conducted their mysteries. A dozen brass pans stood upon the
stove, and every one of them seemed in use.

"Surely these are not for dinner!" we cried. "It was to be a fast-day."

"A fast-day as far as flesh is concerned," laughed the canon. "That does
not absolutely mean that you are to starve. I know no more than you what
Juanita has prepared. If I intruded upon her province with the faintest
suggestion, she might retaliate by sending us empty dishes. I fear our
faces would lengthen before them--that is if anything could lengthen
mine," he gurgled, turning his large, round, delightful countenance full
upon us. "I see signs of approaching readiness in those steaming
saucepans. Let us continue our inspection. Daylight dies; nothing
remains but the afterglow."

We passed again through the charming old kitchen, where the logs on the
great hearth blazed and crackled.

"Summer and winter, Juanita will have a fire," said the old canon,
pointing to the crackling logs. "She declares that she is growing old
and shivery, and the bright flames chase the vapours from her mind."

We passed up the old oak staircase. Everywhere we came upon the same
signs of age; the same artistic old panelling; bedrooms with ancient oak
furniture, oak ceilings finely carved. A perfect house of its kind, and
much larger than it appeared from the outside. One room was the canon's
own sanctum, fitted up with book-shelves, where reposed many a precious
volume. Amongst his treasures he produced some ancient illuminated
manuscripts of rare value. The desk at which he sat and worked was
placed near a latticed window in a corner of the room, through which one
just caught sight of the tower of La Seo.

Again we exclaimed that so perfect a house should be found in Zaragoza.

"Mine by inheritance," said the canon. "Early in the sixteenth century
it bel